Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England, on February 8, 1812, and was the second of eight children in his family. When Charles was 12 years old, his father was imprisoned for debt, and the young boy was forced to find work. His childhood jobs are similar to those described in his book "David Copperfield." His formal education was limited, but having learned shorthand, he began working as a reporter for the "Morning Chronicle" at a young age. He resigned from this position after a few years, once he had begun his writing career. Later, he became a parliamentary reporter. In 1836, he published his first volume of articles about daily life in London, titled "Sketches by Boz." The second volume followed in 1837. His novel "Oliver Twist" (1838) brought him wider recognition. His first trip to America (1841) inspired two works: "American Notes" (1842) and the novel "Martin Chuzzlewit" (1844). Crime, misery, brutality, and death coexist with comic inventiveness and immense tenderness in the works of Charles Dickens. Other significant works include "David Copperfield" (1850), "Hard Times" (1854), "A Tale of Two Cities" (1859), and "Great Expectations" (1861). He died in London on June 9, 1870, and the nation went into mourning. He was buried in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey. His popularity was exceptional during his lifetime, and as Walter Allen said, "his influence continues to be felt, and his work is part of the literary climate in which Western man lives."